Health & Wellbeing Caseworker- Mid Ulster/ Armagh

Overview

Supported by the PEACEPLUS Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Job Title: Health & Wellbeing Caseworker – Mid Ulster/ Armagh

Organisation: SEFF

Location: Mid Ulster/ Armagh TBC

Salary: NJC Scale 6 Pt 21 – £32,115 gross per annum funded until 30th June 2028

Hours: 37.5 hours

Reports to: Health & Wellbeing Caseworker Coordinator

Background

The PEACEPLUS Programme is a unique cross-border structural funding programme aimed at reinforcing progress towards a peaceful, stable, and prosperous society in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. PEACEPLUS has been designed to build upon the achievements of the previous PEACE IV programme. The PEACEPLUS Programme is supported by the European Union, the UK Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, and the Irish Government. It is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). PEACEPLUS comprises six themes, which are outlined below:

VSS is delighted to have been named as the Lead Partner for Theme 4 (Investment Area 3 – ‘Victims and Survivors’) of the new PEACEPLUS Programme.

Investment Area 3 (Victims and Survivors) of Theme 4 (Healthy and Inclusive Communities) aims to further build on the health and wellbeing support and services delivered to victims and survivors of the Troubles/conflict as part of our previous PEACE IV project.

The objective of this Theme & Investment Area is to contribute to the creation of a more cohesive society through an increase in the provision of Health and Wellbeing and Advocacy Support for victims and survivors.

Purpose of the Role

The Health & Wellbeing Caseworker will work directly with individual victims and survivors and their families in a pro-active and innovative way to facilitate engagement with services and activities within the statutory, community and voluntary sector in keeping with their needs.

Job Description

The key elements that constitute the role of Health and Wellbeing Caseworker are as follows:

• Co-ordination and Delivery of Health and Wellbeing Services
  • Proactively and innovatively engage with vulnerable and marginalised individuals.
  • Keep up to date with relevant statutory, private and voluntary sector services available to victims and survivors and their families and work to ensure pathways are seamless, responsive and mitigate against duplication of services.
  • Identify any barriers to victims and survivors accessing the care and support they need and work with the individual and relevant agencies to remove or mitigate any adverse effect such barriers may pose.
  • The first point of contact for stakeholder enquiries, liaising with other agencies in a professional manner, ensuring that complex and sensitive information is communicated with empathy and reassurance and within the boundaries of Data Protection legislation.
  • Advocate on behalf of and if necessary accompany individuals to services/appointments/activities where low confidence, low motivation and diminished trust may have left them isolated and marginalised.
  • Facilitate the process for victims and survivors to access personalised support e.g. one to one literacy tutoring or a physical activity of choice.
  • Introduce victims and survivors and their families to shared spaces and services.
  • Support the work of The Regional Trauma Network and contribute to running joint courses and projects for the betterment of victims/survivors (between Health and SEFF)
  • Deliver the service for the benefit of the memberships attached to partner groups, as advised by Line Management/Director
  • Feed into the Clinical and H+WB oversight structure for the service.
  • Support the wider H+WB services of the SEFF organisation
  • Contribute towards the management, prioritisation and delivery of SEFF’s Complementary Therapies service.

• Business Improvement and Quality Management
  • Ensure adequate and appropriate record keeping and that relevant databases are updated on a regular basis.
  • Record, monitor and evaluate client progress according to measurable goals described in their individual support plan.
  • Ensure that all support plans, records and associated processes are maintained to the standard required for auditing and monitoring and evaluation by VSS.
  • Manage the security/processing of sensitive and confidential client information in keeping with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
  • Report any risks, issues and/or concerns to the Lead Health & Wellbeing Caseworker.
  • Actively encourage participation of victims and survivors and their families in reviewing and modernising current services and in service development.
  • Promote a culture of continuous service improvement through the appropriate sharing of constructive feedback and work with relevant statutory, private and voluntary sector organisations to implement improvements.

• Personal Development, Performance and Professionalism
  • Ensure the ongoing confidence of the public by maintaining high standards of personal accountability and ethical practice.
  • Facilitate liaison with professional and senior management within stakeholder organisations.

The foregoing is a broad range of duties and is not intended to be a complete description of all tasks. It is important to note that the responsibilities may change to meet the evolving needs of the Victims and Survivors Service.

Role Competencies

Essential Criteria:

1. Possess a University Degree, Professional Qualification or equivalent qualification in a relevant area.

OR

Possess 5 GCSE’s grades A – C, including English language AND have 2 years voluntary/paid experience equivalent to 16 hours per week in a community/voluntary/statutory environment working with individuals with mental health and/or physical health issues.

OR

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent AND have 1 year’s voluntary/paid experience equivalent to 16 hours per week in a community/voluntary/ statutory environment working with individuals with mental health and/or physical health issues.

AND

1. Demonstrate experience of effectively engaging with and building positive relationships with clients in situations where they have been vulnerable.
2. Demonstrate experience of liaising with a broad range of service providers.
3. Demonstrate experience of providing progress reports and management information in clear and agreed formats, in line with a reporting schedule.
4. Demonstrate experience of successfully prioritising and managing your own workload while also communicating effectively with colleagues and management.

Desirable Criteria:

1. Demonstrate experience of at least 1 year working with or in the interests of victims and survivors of the Conflict/Troubles.
2. Demonstrate experience of using or contributing to outcomes focussed monitoring and evaluation processes.